Members badpenguin Posted September 23, 2022 Members Share Posted September 23, 2022 I saw this in a pawn shop, where else, and really don't have a clue as to what it started it's life as. The first thing that caught my eye was the simple beauty of old mahogany. One piece, and it's just beautiful. Yeah, been refinished, and had a date with a band saw at some point. The neck, another piece of old mahogany, is one piece again. So at first glance one might think, "Gibson EBO". Not with the headstock as long as it is. And Gibson didn't top mount the electronics in a pick guard. Fretboard is nice old rosewood that has a coat of finish on it. No, I don't know why either. the headstock has a nice piece of birdseye maple on it. But I know that wasn't stock. And it covers an old headstock break. Or two. Maybe three...? Yes, there is some dowel work on the body at the neck joint. As you see, for the obvious reasons. (Poor thing had a hard life...) The pickup IS a Gibson Sidewinder/mudbucker, but not stock.... of course it isn't that would make this easier to identify. And no help with the pot, it's semi modern Korean. The bridge/tailpiece is a Schaller, BUT..... the roller bridge saddles made the action high. How high you ask? Say over an 1/2 an inch at the 12th. So I pulled the saddles, went "Hmmm... that's playable, and notched the bridge. And wouldn't you know, intonation is damn near perfect. And despite a bit of high action, plays quite well, and has that "I only play Cream and old Beatles covers.) sound to it So here's a few measurements, go for the wild guesses! I am leaning towards an old Guild something or other. Width at Nut: 1 7/16th Width at 20th fret: 2 1/8th Thickness at nut: 7/8th Thickness at 17th: 1 3/8th Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderators daddymack Posted September 24, 2022 Moderators Share Posted September 24, 2022 I'm leaning toward the old Gibson Ripper, the alder body, not maple, [the routing seems right]. I agree the headstock must have been grafted on at some point. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members badpenguin Posted September 24, 2022 Author Members Share Posted September 24, 2022 27 minutes ago, daddymack said: I'm leaning toward the old Gibson Ripper, the alder body, not maple, [the routing seems right]. I agree the headstock must have been grafted on at some point. If I recall, the Ripper had a movable smaller humbucker type of pickup. So the routing would be a swimming pool style. Points though for trying! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderators daddymack Posted September 24, 2022 Moderators Share Posted September 24, 2022 8 minutes ago, badpenguin said: If I recall, the Ripper had a movable smaller humbucker type of pickup. So the routing would be a swimming pool style. Points though for trying! That my have been on the later versions, or on the 'Grabber' [bolt-on neck]...this is what I was considering: 'The Ripper humbucker, and it's associated circuitry was designed by Bill Lawrence, who was briefly working for Gibson in the early/mid 1970s. The first version of the Gibson Ripper bass humbucker was mounted directly into the body wood of the Ripper itself, via two screws down the central axis of the pickup, in line with the polepieces.' 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members badpenguin Posted September 24, 2022 Author Members Share Posted September 24, 2022 Ok, completely forgot about the L9S. (Ripper) Close body shape except for the fact of 2 pickups, and string thru the body design. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderators daddymack Posted September 25, 2022 Moderators Share Posted September 25, 2022 Could the string-thru have been cut off when they chopped the bottom off? Okay...maybe I'm grasping at straws....but I can't envision another set-neck bass body that would cut down to that. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderators isaac42 Posted September 26, 2022 Moderators Share Posted September 26, 2022 I'm not seeing any indication that the headstock was grafted on. And the wood all looks like mahogany, not alder. Pickup placement doesn't match with the Gibson pic, nor does the routing for the controls. I have no idea what it is, but I don't think that's it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members DeepEnd Posted September 29, 2022 Members Share Posted September 29, 2022 No clue but Happy New Bass Day. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Mr.Grumpy Posted October 2, 2022 Members Share Posted October 2, 2022 (edited) Appears to be an Epiphone Newport Bass, alas "heavily modified" but it's a thin-bodied set neck bass with mahogany body and 4 on the side headstock. https://www.chicagomusicexchange.com/products/epiphone-newport-bass-cherry-1970-1052458 Edited October 2, 2022 by Mr.Grumpy 3 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members badpenguin Posted October 3, 2022 Author Members Share Posted October 3, 2022 I think you got it!! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Mr.Grumpy Posted October 4, 2022 Members Share Posted October 4, 2022 Yeah, pretty cool because it still has the original pickup apparently. Is that a real Gibson 'mudbucker'? The body mods probably make it neck heavy but not a deal breaker, I think it's well worth cleaning up and fixing up, and getting some kind of pickguard to cover the wire trench. Assuming the neck is halfway straight and playable. That bridge though, looks like someone removed the adjustable saddles and stuck a piece of wood on there, no way that thing can intonate. I'm sure you can get replacement bits (or a whole bridge) somewhere. Pretty sure the original Epi headstocks were painted black, that would look better than the raw wood that's there now, IMO. Looks like the headstock may have been repaired? 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members badpenguin Posted October 4, 2022 Author Members Share Posted October 4, 2022 (edited) Oh, it's been repaired, quite a few times I think. And as for the bridge, I pulled the saddles, which dropped the action to something akin to playable. Surprisingly, the intonation is damn near close at the 12th fret. I have a chunk of a tortoise shell pickguard material I intend to use. The pickup IS a Mudbucker/Sidewinder, and may have a series/single/parallel switch attached to it. I am considering a set of rail single bridges/tailpieces to get the action from playable, to good. Edited October 4, 2022 by badpenguin 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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